Clamp for holding sheet material for breaking



April 9, 1963 I. L. WILCOX 7 3,084,930

CLAMP FOR HOLDING SHEET MATERIAL FOR BREAKING Filed June 7, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. //?A L. W/L C 0X ATTOR/Vf) United States Patent sesame CLAIM? FUR HGLDING SHEET MATERIAL FUR BREAKHNG Ira L. Wilcox, Rte. 3, Box Shll, Duluth, Minn. Filed June '7, 196-3, Ser. No. 34,539 1 Chaim. ((12. 269--23%) The invention relates broadly to an improvement in clamps and more particularly to a clamp construction which will allow the clamping of a relatively long piece of asbestos siding firmly throughout its length whereby a portion thereof may be accurately and easily broken therefrom.

With the advent of asbestos siding it was found that the same could be scored and portions thereof broken t fit around window frames and the like. However, early asbestos siding was made in relatively short lengths (twenty-seven inches), and the problem of clamping the siding piece for breaking away a portion thereof was not great, and because of short lengths there was usually a joint above a window frame.

Asbestos siding has been recently introduced in four foot length-s whereby one piece may be used to span the top of a window frame with no joints provided. A portion of the siding piece may be broken away to accommodate the top portion of the frame. It is a common practice today to join the new long length pieces of siding above a window frame, for example, due to the inadequacies of apparatus for breaking away portions of the siding piece. With the new long lengths of siding pieces, a joint should not be made, for example, above a window frame which is less than four feet in width.

It is an object of the invention to provide a clamp having a stationary bed member and a clamping member movable relative thereto for clamping engagement with the bed member with a constant and positive pressure throughout the entire length of the clamping member.

It is also an object of the invention to provide means for actuating an elongated clamping member into pressing engagement with a bed whereby a piece of material is held under constant even pressure throughout its length.

It will not be here attempted to set forth and indicate all of the various objects and advantages incident to the invention, but other objects and advantages will be referred to in or else will become apparent from that which follows.

The invention will appear more clearly from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example a preferred embodiment of the inventive idea wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.

In the drawings forming part of this application:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the clamp, portions of which are shown in section, other portions being broken away and the clamping handle shown in released position in broken lines.

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the clamp substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1, portions of which are in section and other portions being broken away.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, portions of which are broken away.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of FIGURE 2, portions of which are broken away.

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view substantially on the line 5'5 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of the clamp with the clamping member in clamped position upon a length of siding, a portion of the siding being shown as broken away.

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Referring to the drawings in detail, my clamp A includes a first vertical end member 10 which is U-shaped in cross section and which is capped at the top with the small end plate 12. A similar second vertical end member 14- is provided which has formed on the upper end thereof the pair of flange portions 16 and 13 connected by the small end plate 2%. The end members 10 and 14 are each formed with foot members 22 and 24, respectively. Further provided is the box-like bed member 26 which is secured at its ends to the end members it) and 14, intermediate the ends thereof the bed member 26 presenting the upper fixed flat clamping surface 28. The surface 2.8 is formed with a slight arch extending longitudinally thereof from end to end.

The (numeral 30 designates the movable clamping member, and the same is a box construction in cross section presenting the clamping surface 32 which is directly overlying and opposed to the fixed clamping surface 28. The surface 32 is formed with a slight arch extending longitudinally thereof from end to end. The arching of the surfaces 28 and 32 assures better clamping. This feature is shown in FIGURE 1 of the drawings. The movable clamping member 3!) is slidably mounted with respect to the bed member '26 by positioning the ends thereof within the U-shaped vertical end members 10 and 14. Secured to the outer ends of the upper surface of the clamping member 39 are the short plate portions 34 and 36.

Further provided is the primary cam lever 38 which is formed of the arm portion 40 secured at its upper end to the sleeve portion 42 which is pivotally mounted on the pin 44 secured to the end member If Secured to the lower end of the arm 40 are the pair of spaced lever arms 46 and 48 which extend upwardly and obliquely from the cam arm 40. The upper outer ends of the lever arms 46 and 48 are secured to the handle 50. The upper ends of the support end members 10 and 14 are connected and supported by the upper brace member 52.

The numeral 54 designates an elongated connecting rod formed with the inner end spaced portions 56 and 53 thereof pivotally connected by means of the pin 57 to the spaced lever arms 46 and 48. The outer end of the connecting rod 54 is connected to a turnbuckle 60 which in turn is pivotally connected by means of the pin 61 to a lug 62 secured to the outer surface of the arm portion 64 of a secondary cam lever 66. The secondary cam lever 66 includes the sleeve portion 68 connected to the arm portion 64 and pivotally mounted on the pin 70 secured to the flange portions 16 and 18 of the end member 14. The lower end of the cam lever 66 bears down upon the plate portion 36 of the movable clamping member 3% as it is moved as hereinafter described.

The clamping member 30 normally is urged upwardly and away from the fixed bed 26 by means of the coil springs 63a and 74%: positioned on the surface 28 at the ends of bed 26 and abutting the upper inner surface of the movable clamping member 39. The member 30 is urged away from the bed 26 provided, of course, the handle St is in the raised broken line position of FIGURE 1.

In the operation of the device, it will be noted that with the handle 59 in the lifted or upward position, as shown in broken lines in FIGURE 1, the movable clamping member 3t) is urged into a raised position away from the bed 26 by means of the springs 68a and 79a. In FIGURE 7 is found a piece of siding B in clamped position, and the portion 72 thereof is removed by clamping the piece B and then scoring along the edge of the member 3% as at 31 the desired length. Then with a shears, the piece B is cut at 74- and 76 to meet the scoring at 31 whereby the piece '72 may be neatly and evenly broken on the score line 31 and removed as indicated in FIGURE 7.

The clamping action is accomplished as follows: When a the handle 50 is lowered from the broken line position of FIGURE 1 to the full line position thereof, the lower edge of the cam lever 38 is pivotally brought into pressing engagement with the end of the clamping member 30 thereby moving the same upon the piece of siding B resting upon the bed member 26. Simultaneously with the movement of the primary cam lever 33 is the pivoted downward movement of the secondary cam lever 66 through the connecting rod 54 pivotally connected to the cam lever 66 as hereinbefore set forth. As the lever 64 is moved downwardly, the lower end thereof engages the clamping member 30 forcing it downwardly upon the siding piece B against the action of the springs 68 and 70. To release the siding piece B, the operator merely lifts the handle 56. In the clamping position of FIGURES 1 and 4 particularly, the cam levers 38 and 66 have been lowered suifieiently to a point approaching bottom dead center that the same remain in the lowered position with the handle 50 lying substantially parallel with the brace member 52 and closely adjacent thereto.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details set forth since these may be modified within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

In a clamping structure for holding sheets of asbestos and similar material, spaced vertical frame members, a generally horizontal fixed bed secured to said frame members, said fixed bed having an arched upper surface, a generally vertically movable clamping member carried in said frame members and overlying said bed to define therewith a sheet receiving opening therebetween, said movable clamping member having an arched lower surface substantially complementary to the upper arched surface of said bed, third classlever means mounted in each of said frame members adapted to exert downward forces upon said movable clamping member to move said clamping members toward said fixed bed, means between said fixed bed and said movable clamping member for biasing said movable clamping member into a normally spaced relation with said fixed bed, and hand engagea'ble means connecting said lever means adapted to operate said device whereby to open or close said clamping member with respect to said fixed bed, said hand engageable connecting means consisting of a hand grip secured to one of said lever means and means operatively connecting each of said lever means cooperable with said hand grip, said means operatively connecting each of said lever means consisting of an elongated axially adjustable member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 594,985 Dalbey Dec. 7, 1897 630,900 Kohl Aug. 15, 1899 1,501,813 Schumaeher July 15, 1924 2,434,328 McL-ane Jan. 13, 1948 

